Grist for the (Rumor) Mill
by AncientGleek
Summary: Based on the story, "...Or Forever Hold Your Peace," by Corinna on AO3 (archiveofourown dot org/works/117). In response to her delectable one-shot, I submitted a plea for a sequel. She replied that she probably wouldn't write a sequel and invited me to write one. So— (All the original characters are Corinna's; the sequel can be read without her story, but it's more fun with!)


Kurt walked Blaine out of the NYADA foyer, waving at the applauding and whistling students while guiding his slightly bewildered boyfriend (fiancé!) down the steps. "That should take care of the 'Kurchel' rumor!" he thought with satisfaction. He was still flabbergasted, though. _How in the world could people ever think he'd married Rachel?_

Granted, he'd been showing off the stunning band on his left ring finger after he'd returned from Ohio, but seriously? Surely they realized he was gay—after all, he'd been open about his orientation, and even he admitted it was hard to ignore his unique sense of style and bearing. "If nothing else," he thought, "surely people would have noticed that Rachel wasn't showing off a ring and bragging to everyone she met."

Kurt knew the timing for disproving the rumor was perfect since Blaine had just arrived for his own NYADA audition. First, he made a point of proudly introducing him as his fiancé to everyone they met. Then, never one to miss an opportunity for a performance, he'd practically devoured Blaine's face in front of a good portion of the NYADA student body just to emphasize the point.

"Actually," Kurt thought with a slightly smug smile, "I do believe I earned an A+ for that R-rated scene, and no acting was even required!" This might have explained why Blaine dazedly stumbled his way down the steps while simultaneously trying to initiate an encore performance. Kurt happily anticipated a rumor-free weekend of many encores.

The weekend was perfect—_lots and lots_ of encores until Sunday night, when Blaine departed for Ohio. Despite the sad farewell, it was with a satisfied sense that all was right with the world that Kurt returned to his classes Monday morning. He was more than ready to dive right back into the challenging work of being a successful NYADA student and future Broadway performer.

Kurt's sense of satisfaction slowly shrank as days passed, however, when he began to notice some strange, unsettling looks from his fellow students. Many who had been friendly and outgoing towards him seemed to avoid talking with him. Some even went so far as to request another partner when paired with him in class. And a few gave him what could only be described as looks of loathing.

He was nonplussed to say the least. After all, unlike McKinley, NYADA students seemed to have accepted him; some might even have described him as popular. He certainly felt he had numerous friends—or at least friendly acquaintances. As Kurt tried to comprehend the reasons behind people's behaviors, he began to recall snippets of overheard conversations—conversations that, at the time, didn't seem to have anything to do with him, but in retrospect…

As two students turned the corner after passing him in the hallway: "I wonder if Rachel knows…"

A student in stage combat class, whispering to the instructor: "How can I trust him to fight fairly and safely when he obviously has no morals?"

And, while waiting in line at the campus espresso shop, several students walking out with their coffees: "I thought he was gay." "Well, I guess not—I mean, he must be straight, right?" "I dunno, dude, maybe he's bi?" "Whatever, seems like he's lighting both ends of that candle, man." "Jeez, I don't know whether to hate him or envy him."

And then there was that strange conversation with Josh—actually, all his conversations with Josh were strange lately. The previous week Josh had somewhat hesitantly congratulated him because he thought Kurt was married to Rachel. Kurt was sure Josh had heard the truth by now, but it was with a sense of déjà vu when, as before, they met in the hall while waiting for his next class, and once again their exchange was brief and somewhat puzzling.

Josh didn't quite look him in the eye as he remarked, "Man, I thought you were happy and excited about this; are you really, really sure you know what you're doing?"

With a gleam in his eye and a grin on his face, Kurt naturally replied, "Really, really."

He was a bit taken aback when Josh gave him a perplexed and somewhat disapproving look as he responded, "Whatever, man," and, as before, he was lost in the rush of students as classes changed, leaving Kurt wondering, "What the hell?"

As the days passed, Kurt began to feel almost as ostracized as he had at McKinley. Although no one had gone so far as to slushy him (not that anyone at NYADA would even consider such an act), he found himself sitting alone at lunch, the whispers and looks continued, and it was apparent that students were avoiding him whenever possible.

After the last rumor fiasco, Kurt realized that if he was going to get to the bottom of things, he needed help. Rachel was of no use; when he'd asked her whether she'd noticed anything different about how students were behaving, she prattled on, asserting that people were always talking about her—after all, it was only to be expected due to her talent, and now that she was an up and coming Broadway star, after having brilliantly landed the lead in Funny Girl, it was only natural that whispers and looks (of admiration and envy, of course) would increase—and so on and so on, making him regret having asked. (Did the girl ever stop to take a breath, for heaven's sake?)

It was, therefore, with a sense of desperation that Kurt texted his reliably gossip-wise friend, Katie Bernbach, and asked her to meet him in the student commons to talk. After all, she'd set him straight about the rumor that he'd married Rachel; surely she would have some idea about what was now transpiring. He was a little concerned when she didn't respond until several hours had passed. Even then her response wasn't her usual "Wassup, Hummel!" or even, "Yuppers!" but a more reserved, "Perhaps it would be better to meet someplace a little less conducive to eavesdropping?"

So Kurt reserved a study room in the library because, while they had glass walls, they were fairly sound-proof as long as people spoke quietly. He and Katie could hold a candid conversation, and it would appear that they were discussing a class assignment. Kurt arrived first and, as Katie entered, the look on her face seemed to combine bemusement, amusement and maybe even a tiny bit of sympathy. She sat down with a sigh.

"Hummel, how the hell do you get yourself into these fixes?"

Kurt looked at her—obviously he had been right; she did know what was going on. He fully expected her to launch right into an explanation, especially after what he'd gone through with the other rumor mill. Instead, she just sat back and just continued to stare at him.

"What?" he exclaimed with some frustration. "What fix? What did I do? Or, better yet, what do people _think_ I did—or am doing—or whatever! Just tell me, Katie!"

"Well," she replied, drawing the word out, "You remember when you were married to Rachel?"

"I was _not_ married to Rachel, and you know it!" His voice had risen, and the librarian looked at him from her observation post at the reference desk.

"Okay, okay, Kurt," she said, trying to calm him down. "Sorry—it was just too good to pass up giving you a bit of a hard time."

"All right, but you know I debunked that rumor by introducing Blaine as my fiancé and essentially making out with him in front of practically everyone at NYADA."

"Well, you may have thought you debunked it, but apparently only a handful heard you introducing him, while a lot more saw you sucking face."

"So?" Kurt couldn't understand where this was going. Surely there was only one way for people to interpret his actions.

"So," Katie calmly declared, "now everyone thinks you're married to Rachel and cheating on her with Blaine."

The librarian rose and started to walk towards their study room as the _thud_, **thud**, **THUD**, _**THUD**_ of Kurt's head striking the table echoed throughout the library.


End file.
